Smoker Needs A Shirt
by Lady-Kasha
Summary: My take on how Smoker got in the Marine's and why he is so caught up with Straw Hat and his brother. Hints of Smoker Ace, everything else is back story. /SL1/


By Lady Kasha

One Piece is not mine. It is the great and powerful Eiichiro Oda.

**Smoker Needs A Shirt.**

Smoker's eyes flew open waking with a start. He scanned the room his mind quickly making out shapes in the darkness. He knew where he was. But it still took years of training kept him in his place, under the covers. While his mind screamed at him to run. His heart raced. He could hear the pounding beat in his ears. Smoker kept his breathing level, taking calming breaths regaining control of his rebellious body. He lifted his left arm to his face and sighed finally feeling his pulse settle.

Smoker had not dreamed about his father in years. He cursed under his breath. He did not want to think about the man. The dream itself was probably the result of the brat. Said child was currently drooling sprawled out over his chest, leaving only one arm free from his _childlike_ grasp. Smoker sighed again, his mind drifting from the boy and his father to the man who essentially raised him. Smoker smiled, that might also be the brat's fault.

Smoker's life was too deeply tied together with the man on him to be coincidence. Smoker had stopped thinking it was just a coincidence long ago. That fact did not make it feel any less wrong. He had chosen this life long ago, the life of a Marine. He had rebelled against his father who had come to fetch him after his mother's death. If the man had cared for his mistress at all…Smoker should not matter so much to that man. He was not worth the trip his father made to her grave after the Pirate King died at the gallows. Smoker refused to come with him to become a pirate like him. Pirates were scum. His father was scum. He knew that, yet this man in his arms. A distinctive snore arose from the boy sprawled over him and Smoker chuckled.

That reminded him of the only man he would actually take orders from. As the boy shifted deeper into the crook of Smoker's neck, he thought back to a time much earlier in his life, when he was younger than the boy in his arms and his annoying brother.

---

Garp had docked at Louge Town in order to restock and continue on to Marine Headquarters with the new Devil fruit recruit he had picked up. The girl was not too bad. She just had a speech problem, and talked to herself. She also had this pesky little problem of continuously incapacitating his men with her looks, which was sinful for such a young girl or if for some reason that did not work her devil fruit abilities.

Garp did not dislike the town, just it was all still to recent. It had only been three years since Gol D. Roger had met his end in this town. Garp looked up to where the pirate king had fallen. He saw bodies darted back into the shadows.

"Pirates…" They were not worth his time, hardly anyone was. All the pirates had gone crazy after Roger's fall. There were a few who were strong, but most met their end before they got far enough for their lives to mean anything.

Garp left the gallows and made his way to the bar. He remembered the reports just after that man's ship had been spotted here. The capture rates of pirates had soared and they were still on the rise if he remembered correctly.

He made a motion, determined. He pushed open the door, investigating the scene in front of the marine's eyes. The smoke filled room with stools, booths and booze, his men already at the table. Garp took his spot in the chair they reserved for him.

"What took ya?" One of his men asked already drowning in a few orders of alcohol. He was leaning over the table smiling to him as if Garp was the funniest thing in the world.

"You didn't fall asleep did you?" It was one of his senior officers, he was sure she had been assigned to his ship to take care of him. She was already flustered and he had just sat down. "I know I should have sent some one. What if you were attacked? Oh it's all, my fault. How could I have done such a thing?"

"Stop it. I didn't fall asleep. I just went to the grave of a friend that's all. Don't worry so much." Garp barked out laughing the girl seemed to only sigh at his behavior. He caught her relaxing some. Garp then hailed a waiter over and ordered another round of drinks. They all need to relax and booze was the best and cheapest way to do it.

Garp listened to his men talk about random information they had come across, the rumors and talk of house wives that the sea goers feasted upon in port. One of them brought up the enigma that is this town. Peters, a good soldier, but not good enough to be taking down so many pirates especially with the men Garp had seen today. Cowards the majority of them, over run with fear since pirates began to flood their shores.

There was one though. It was rumored to be one. The doors opened again and the smoke seemed to thicken, too many cigars. He thought about the young brat who was putting down pirates left and right. It had to be a brat. No one else had that type of ambition anymore. Children were the only ones who still clung to dreams. Probably a boy, Garp pondered, around fifteen, no parents, high morals, his own sense of things. Poor kid probably suffered more traumas in his life time than most.

"Hey there, cutie…" Garp arched an eye brow at the girl's flirtatious voice. He turned spotting a teenage boy at the bar. The boy had about as much interest in her as he did with the passed out man beside him. The white hair caught his eye. It reminded him of a pirate who really deserved the death penalty. Garp personally did not dole out death sentences, but he was willing to with Newgate…Whitebeard. Garp scoffed at his drink.

"Mary, lay off the boy. Go find another one to go lure into your bed." The bar tender shooed the bar maid off. She huffed and went down to a much drunker man and began to bribe him into giving her money. Garp shook his head not even looking at the scene anymore he knew how it all played out in his mind. Now the bar tender would shoo the boy off saying he was too young and the girl would chase him out hoping to get in the young ones pants.

"Here's your water." There was a click of glass against wood as the cup was placed on the bar. "No, keep your money. I owe you more than that for your help." He could hear the change being pushed back over the wood. Coins being gathered and it clanking together in the hands of the boy. Then it was all business as usually in Garp's mind. Kid probably lived out back or some where else owned by the bar man. It was unusual, for some one to be thanked so many times, though. As the words of praise just seemed to be spilling forth from the man's mouth. The boy never spoke though not a word for all the praise he received. Garp had returned to his drink ordering another round from the girl as she winked to him. She was a few decades too young to draw his eye, just like the girl on his ship.

"Oi." Garp had heard the door open. He also heard the commotion from outside. So did his men, each tensed subtly moving for their arms. They all shifted prepared for battle, but they were not the targets. The pirate's fist was thrown at the boy's face. He caught it mere millimeters from connecting with his face. The boy was calm, not even a glare or a scowl crossed over his features. The boy was off the stool in a second the pirate went flying over the young man's bare shoulder and out the door. He stood up from his crouched position and went over to the door. Standing by the coat rack the boy pulled off a coat. The coat had an old fashioned metal jitte attached to the back held in place by a thick piece of black leather.

The boy smiled. Garp could see the reflection as the kid pulled out the metal jitte and stormed outside. Garp's men began to move, they wanted to go after the boy. Garp waved them off it was a command to sit back down. He recognized the cries of multiple men. It may have been a bad trap, or the kid was just that good, but it was not his lone cry cutting through the bar. The sound of metal hitting metal, the cries as metal was snapped broken never to be used again. The cries of grown men as metal connected with flesh and the groans as they hit the dirt.

The doors were pushed open. A coat was thrown back on a rack. Men chuckled from their seats as the boy sat back down at the bar. The bar maid ran over to him pulling out a clean cloth wiping the blood from his face. The black coat hung from the rack stained with blood. The color usually absorbed blood, but Garp had the itching feeling that this was a daily activity. She removed the bloodied gloves from his hands checking for breaks in both sets of flesh. Men shook their heads as the girl fussed over the stoic boy. Calling out to him with loving names caressing his face, making him clean. The boy set the empty cup down and stood up disturbing the bar maid as she tried to clean him up.

"Thank you." He moved toward the door putting on the bloody coat adjusting the bloody weapon on his back and stuffing the gloves in the pocket. He then walked over to the table full of Garp's Marines. He kicked Garp's chair with his steel tipped boot, the man looked up to the blood covered boy. "Could you manage the mess I left?" He then turned and walked away, not even waiting for Garp's response. Garp was so caught off guard by the request, by the time he regained his bearings the boy was gone, out the back. His men looked to him Garp burst out laughing. His men seemed to relax with his laughter filling the bar.

"Shall we see what the boy left us?" Garp's caretaker asked standing up and popping her back. The men at the table rolled their eyes. She began to move towards the door. Garp's men began to groan waking up from there drunken states to follow her.

"Glad to finally have met the guy who has been giving Peters a good name." One commented with a sly look on his face they all laughed. Garp pushed into the smart alecks back.

"None of that…we can't let them know we're on to them…" Another round of laughs fell from the group of Marines at Garp's harsh words. The girl of the group paused, seeming to freeze in the middle of the door way.

"What is it, blood too much for ya?" Another joked moving past her to only stop a few steps later.

"What the hell?"

---

Garp could hear the hushed voices of his senior officers on the other side of the door. They were talking about last night's events in the middle of the main deck. He knew his soldiers better than that. They were trained men. No gossiping was allowed on his ship.

"I don't care. It's not natural."

"It was an entire pirate crew."

"Actually two crews, remember when we turned them in, two whole crews."

"Minus the captains they had already been turned in."

"Who the hell can take down two crews on their own?"

"And not have a scratch on them."

"Who can take down two crews and not take the rewards money?"

"It's not natural."

"Sir!" One of his men cried as Garp opened the door stalking his way over to the side of the ship.

"What are you doing sir?" Another asked in a panicked tone of voice. Garp wanted to turn and yell at his men for their behavior, but he knew better. What happened last night left an impression on him too.

"Going to shore, watch the ship, we leave the second I step foot on the main deck understand?" Garp looked to his men, all of them snapped to attention. Good, Garp thought. If things went as he planned he would need to be able to take off in a hurry.

"Yes, Sir!" They all saluted and Garp walked down the gangway. Now to find the boy with the jitte on his back…

---

Garp found him after an hour. He did not count the time he spent asleep in the middle of the town. Nor the time he spent asleep in his plate of food. So here was the boy on the pier next to a docked pirate ship tying the crew to a lamp post and other stationary objects. The knots he was tying the crew with were the same the Marines used just better than standard Marine grade.

The boy did not acknowledge Garp, which either very bold or very stupid. Once he was done tying the knots the Marine tossed the bag in his arms to the boy. He caught it with ease. The bag jingled, filled with the reward money for the bounties he took down last night. The boy dropped the bag as if it had stung him. He shot Garp a look of disgust and took off down a side alley.

Garp looked to the bag of money and back to where the boy had disappeared. Oh it was not going to be that easy. The boy was not going to get out of taking his dues. Garp was set, the boy was going to own up to his actions one way or another.

Garp followed the boy for the rest of the day. He seemed to ignore the Marine's presence well enough. The pirates and other officers seemed to ignore Garp just fine. The Marines always turned away once the boy showed up turning only when the noise was gone and the villains were there bound and tied waiting to be taken in. The pirates could not care less about the Marine apparently it was normal for there to be a marine near by him at all times.

The boy caught more than fifty pirates on his own…in just the time Garp had been with him. After he bound another group of pirates who were very close to the docks where it had all started, Garp made up his mind. He stalked forward. At least the kid had the decency to blink when the marine marched up to him out of the blue. He grabbed the boy by the ear in front of the other marine and began to haul him off toward the ship's dock. The boy finally spoke after an entire day of ignoring the marine's presence.

"What the hell?" The boy yelled to the marine his hands clutched on the man's arm trying to free himself. After following the boy around the entire day Garp had learned many things. "Let go!" Garp did not, but he could feel the muscles flex around his arm. The boy was having a hard enough time keeping balance. It was amazing. He was able to resist as much as he was while being pulled by a man twice his size. He would occasionally trip, but he was back on his feet by the next step. His teeth were grounding and his eyes were burning into the back of Garp's head. He wore harsh leather gloves caked with old blood and too big jeans also splattered with blood. Actually the entire ensemble made the boy look small. He was not big by any means, but he must be working through a growth spurt if he wore such baggy clothing. The coat was large enough that his shoulders kept slipping out. The black jacket seemed to make him look even paler and sickly. The pants stayed on do to the belts magical powers, only his shoes seemed to fit right.

He had to give the boy props when he kicked up and freed himself from Garp's grasp. The move left him winded and with his back against the ground. Garp had just grabbed his collar hauled him off the ground grabbing the other ear to pull him the last bit to his ship. His men spotted him and made the last preparations for departure. Garp looked back again to the boy. Thin, too thin, all muscle, lean and awkward, not fully grown. Garp felt pity wash over him. This was a child covered in blood. Garp's gaze locked with the boy's for a second. He saw the fire that burned inside. Garp smiled turning forward. This boy's future was now in his hands.

He pulled him up to the main deck his grip as firm as the others. His men pulled in the gangway and raised the anchor taking off. The boy panicked. The shift was immediate, no more faking. He pulled away flipping out of Garp's grasp, weapon drawn in midair. The boy was quite the gymnast.

Garp laughed out loud grabbing a cannon ball and throwing it at the boy. He did not dodge it. Instead the jitte came crashing forward. The gentle tapping as the two halves of the cannon ball fell beside the tip. The boy's charge was silent. The large clothes did not matter anymore, the boy had transformed. He was no longer the awkward teen, but the silent predator. Garp was still laughing from earlier. When the boy appeared below his guard, he was genuinely shocked. His men cried out to him, but he would have none of that. Garp caught the jitte with his hand and the boy did not even phase for a beat. A kick was automatically sent towards the Marine's face.

"Stay out of this!" Garp commanded dodging the kick with a sharp turn of his head. The other leg landed in his shoulder and both the boy and jitte were away from the Marine's range, composed and ready. Garp laughed again. "You're going to make a fine Marine!"

The words seemed to strike a cord within the boy. He charged again using a large array of basic techniques, each perfected and skilled. The jitte was constantly moving, from his back, to his hands, and once even to his mouth as he fought the tank of a marine. Garp was winning though, actually he had hardly moved from his spot. The boy was now standing over by the edge weapon draw. He was not moving. Not even the rise of his shoulders could be seen beneath the torn coat. Garp promised himself at the next port he would buy the boy another. Along with some new gloves, maybe a whole new outfit one that fit the lad.

The boy just might have read the marine's thoughts because he was ripping off the gloves and jacket throwing them overboard. Not before slipping something into his pants pockets. The boy seemed to calm down. His breath stilled and he took another pose. He was calm now, holding a hand out towards Garp.

So this was the end. The boy had realized what was about to happen. Garp was going to win. The boy wanted to feel the full impact. Stupid, but brave and honorable…this boy was already above some, probably most of the men on his ship. Garp smiled popping his knuckles.

"Whatever you say boy…" Garp charged, he was not moving, not an inch as the marine barreled towards him. Garp knew the boy was going to dodge or try to, but he was much larger and the boy was so small. Garp would make sure to dive after him.

He still was not moving. He would die if Garp hit him full on. The window was gone no stopping it now. That was when Garp saw it. The smile, spread over the boy's face. His eyes locked with the boy's. Mischief, Garp could feel it radiating through the air. Then the boy was gone no longer in front of him and he felt the impact of the boy's jitte radiate through his back. He saw the railing pass under him and he saw the sea when he crashed into it.

"**BWAHAHAHAHAHA**." (1) Garp broke the surface with a roar of laughter he looked up to see the boy smiling pinned under a group of Marines. The boy smiled to him, probably the first time in years he did not have to hold back.

Garp climbed back on to the ship waving the Marines off the boy who straighten himself up avoiding Garp's grasp.

"Guess you don't like sea water much. Logia, I'm guessing." Garp stated the boy nodded and Garp turned stalking up to the top deck. He sat down in a chair and began pounding numbers into the DenDenMushi. He waved his men off again. He waved him over and the boy looked up from patting down his pants and rolled his eyes walking to the man on the higher deck.

"What's your name, brat?" Garp asked as the machine kicked up. The boy cocked an eyebrow at the marine as he climbed up the stairs.

"Don't have one." Was all that came out of the boy's mouth. He reached the top of the stairs and started stalking over to the marine's side.

"Didn't your parent's give you one?" Garp asked eyeing the no-name boy who stood beside him. The boy rolled his eyes.

"Doesn't mean I have to go by it..." He began to pad down his pants again intent on finding what he was looking for. The DenDenMushi sprung to life.

"How can I place your call?"

"The extension is 6777." Garp barked to the woman on the other side of the line. Garp stared at the kid as he pulled out a lighter and a cigar. He lit the cigar placing the nicotine stick in his mouth taking a deep drag. "Aren't you a little young to be a smoker?" This was of course when the other line decided to pick up.

"Smoker, who is Smoker?"

"Me." The boy responded with a smile on his face. Garp scowled at him and the machine.

"Garp, what the hell?"

"I have another recruit for you." Garp said glaring at the boy now named Smoker, who just chuckled at the turn of events breathing in more of the cigar's fumes.

"Found another one did you?"

"The brat that has been making Peters look good." Garp said with almost a tone of pride in his voice. Smoker snorted pulling the cigar out of his mouth.

"Oh, the guy who has been catching all the pirates in Louge Town…good job Garp."

Smoker let out a long sigh. Smoke escaping and circling around him. He rolled his eyes and brought his cigar free hand to his face.

"Hina think Smoker stupid, smoking is bad for you." Smoker turned to see the girl standing behind him. She was in an obtrusively revealing pink outfit. Of course she looked younger than Smoker, so there was not much to show. Her short pink hair and odd posture all made him squint.

"Hina Stupid." Smoker remarked mocking the girl turning away from her hoping she would disappear.

"Smoker needs a shirt." Hina stated to Smoker's bare back. Smoker rolled his eyes. Garp burst out laughing at his expense.

"Ah…Hina is there as well. Bring them both to Head Quarters with you Garp. We will make fine marines out of both of them."

"Oi." Smoker rolled his eyes, and then glared at the machine. "You're not going to take away my cigars are you?"

"No you can keep them."

"Guess you all aren't as stupid as that one." Smoker moved past Hina and leaned against the side railing of the ship. He continued to puff on his cigar with Hina and Garp's gaze on his back.

"Hina think Smoker looks ok. His personality is not ok. Hina no like." Both Garp and the man from the Marine Head Quarters burst out laughing.

---

"Why are you so happy in the morning?" Smoker looked to the sleepy face that greeted him. Smoker chuckled and ran his hand through his lover's hair.

"I was just thinking about a friend of mine." Smoker said the body shifted fully on top of him. He was now face to face with his lover.

"Is this person someone I am going to have to burn to a crisp in a jealous rage?" Ace asked with sparks in his eyes. Smoker chuckled again and pushed the pirate into his chest kissing the top of his head.

"No not her. Believe me, not her." Smoker chuckled as Ace began to lick his chest.

"Don't make me jealous then." Ace said lighting the marine's chest aflame watching the smoke rise from his lover's chest.

"You get jealous of my paper work." Smoker commented back and Ace huffed biting down on the exposed chest.

"I have every right to be you spend too much time at that desk." Ace was tugged from his place and into the marines lap and he shifted into a sitting position.

"Sometimes I swear." Smoker bit Ace who all but cheered at the Marine's positive response. Smoker knew Ace was hoping to get the Marine back under the covers before dawn.

* * *

(1) That should be Garps Unique's One Piece laugh...except I can not find it...so feel free to tell me

Please?


End file.
